fall in the Okanagan

What a blessing to live in the land of bounty. After a few days of cloud and sprinkles, yesterday the sun came out and we were still in our shirtsleeves at 9pm. Yesterday was my first day of quilting with my friends so that is always anticipated except I arrived at 9 and the rest 10. Oops. Oh well, the coffee was made and I had read through all of my quilt books twice!!


After an evening of wings at our fav place, we grocery shopped. Now how is that for excitement in a senior's life. We came home, got hooked on a movie on tv and stayed up until 12:30. We are still up at 6 so a nap is already anticipated:)

I LOVE this time of year

Gardening 101

As I have read various emails throughout the summer, I have been listening to the joys of gardening. Flowers, vegetables, canning, freezing, and my mind is drawn back to gardening through the years.
When first married, I thought gardening was the thing to do so I had my husband dig a garden plot for us. Now he must have had high expectations because the plot was large enough to put our entire home of today in!!! I tried but thistles, stray cows, hungry horses, rain and early frost dampened my hopes of domestic bliss.
In later years, I got another wisp of desire and had H. build me a raised garden. You can imagine the magnitude of the size when my niece asked me why I still had a sandbox in our yard!!! As fall came, I got the brainwave that burning the fall leaves on my garden would keep the mess contained. Then it snowed and the leaf cleanup was halted. Two weeks later I noticed what looked like smoke trailing up from my garden. My soil was a high content of peat and even the snow could not quench the fire so I ended up burning up the soil and three layers of logs that raised my garden. Undaunted, I rebuilt only to have the coyotes eat all of my carrotts. ( I am not kidding, I saw them dig them up and eat them!!!!)
I decided, wisely, that the farmer's market was a much more reasonable produce spot.
But I moved to the Okanagan where ANYTHING grows. H., once again built me a raised plot (3x5 does not qualify as a real garden). In that space, I planted 5 potatoes, a 1/2 row of radishes and 1 1/2 rows of carrots. It did not take long to realize that perhaps our soil was a little on the rich side (plus I didn't plant it until mid June) and the garden quickly started to germinate and just kept on. The potatoes were 2 feet high, fell over and killed the radishes and carrots due to no light. They did not bloom. H. wanted to tear them out but I have always been sympathetic to anything willing to live under my care. I left them in their gregarious green splendor.
Today, I dug around under one of the potatoes. There were little potatoes. You cannot imagine my excitement. I dug up the one plant and there were seven potatoes. Well, five were large marble size, one golf ball and one small tennis ball. I cooked them proudly for my mother and I and they were awesome. My hubby listened patiently to my excitement and suggested that I leave the rest of our bounty to grow up a little.
Tomorrow mom and I are going to enjoy one of my four tomatoes that survived on my two plants that I had carefully groomed in pots. hmmmmm....farmer's market is which day?

Professional procrastinator

The sun is shining, the weather perfect ( not sweltering) and I should be sewing drapes. But.... last night equipped with advice from many of my friends, I went on a stairwell picture hanging frenzy, finding myself involved in a very important task that took me away from the drapes (which I fired on my sofa in frustration before the hanging adventure.)

My daugher in law and I had decided, upon her last visit, that I should showcase some quilt art I had done ,in the stairwell, filling up a puzzling space I had in our home. (eek a wall with nothing on it!!!) My other friend told me how it was a piece of cake to vertically line up pictures with the simple aid of a pin, thread and a button. (I reinvented this theory by just keeping the spool attached to the thread! I was amazed how efficient this new plumbline was.

I started with the lowest (the only one I could comfortably reach), found the space on the plumbline, guessed about where the nail should go based on the approx. distance from the picture wire to where I wanted it to hang. I couldn't find the hammer, so I cleverly banged in the nail with a pair of needle nosed plyers. Did I mention this is on a dark red wall?????? I put the picture on my plumbed lineup source. Too low. I carefully pulled out the nail and raised it, grateful that the now white first nail hole would not show.

Picture #2 was a little higher and a little heavier and in just the wrong position. Too high for standing on the landing of the stairwell and too low for leaning over the stairwell. I reached through the railing, found my plumbline and started my nail. However, the plyers did not pound well from this angle and how I had a 1/4 " hole in the wall which would not be so bad except the wall was red, the hole very white!!! I went in search of my hammer in my newly organized quilt studio. I am sure I put it somewhere logical but it illuded me. Digging in my drawer, I found the new substitute, my meat tenderizing mallet!! It is metal and except for the tenderizing uneven portion of the "hammer" it seemed like a doable substitute. Unfortunately, I had left the needle nose plyers between the rails on the stairwell, they slipped and were now sticking straight up out of the carpet below. (Thank you Lord that hubby is in Alberta!!)

Armed with my mallet, I managed to hang #2 with only three holes behind the picture and one teensy tiny white mark just above the picture.

#3 now loomed before me. Grace is not my finest feature and I knew I should search for a suitable ladder but I wasn't sure where to look so a foldup chair perched next to the open stairway seemed like a viable option. My plumbline was now too short for this last picture but I carefully removed my pin and slid it up the wall. That attached spool of thread caught the picture at the bottom making it skew but leaving it attached to the wall. I leaned out into the stairwell just to check about where the now very heavy picture should go. This time I measured just where the nail should go, trial hung it in the air. It looked good so I took my meat tenderizer in hand, leaned out and pounded it in, hitting the pin and sending it, the thread and my plumbline into blissful oblivian! The good thing? This picture was right where it was supposed to be-first try.

As I looked at my handiwork, I was pleased. As I admired my work, the sun shone through my stained glass window and made rainbows on the pictures. I think God was telling me to get on the ark and quit destroying the earth (or in this case my walls). The sun has now gone behind a cloud, my pictures are hung and I think I will go mow the lawn. The drapes will survive a little more procrastination.

Too bad it is not my birthday. I think I need the

little picture hanger tool thingy.

To quote my son from his early highschool essay,

"I know I need to quit procrastinating, but I just never get around to it."

Tomorrow is a new day.

33 years

Wow, 33 years of marriage. We smile because, to be honest, if our children didn't remind us, or the ever faithful facebook, we may have forgotten. It is definitely not because it is not important to us, but just our lives together, not neccesarily the day :)

In fact on this our anniversay day, one is in Alberta and one in BC, one choking on smoke from local fires (actually it is the BC fires that are choking Alberta), and one home for an appointment that she can't keep due to a cough and cold!

Howard is at camp. He is doing what he does best - serving others. Actually it is kind of cool that he is working on a new location for a place that changed our lives.

It is where we met.

It is where Howard, as a little boy accepted Christ.

It is where we served together directing a bunch of teens when I wasn't much older than most of the campers!

It is where we celebrated our oldest's first birthday.

It is where our son found a spring job that would keep sending paychecks for his overtime hours so that he could serve at.............. camp.

It is where he met his wife.

It is where I went kicking and screaming to our first "heritage builder's camp" (I was NOT old enough), only to find a week of celebrating our Lord, our friends, and an awesome camp staff. Taxi!!!

It is where I learned that I loved working in a kitchen and where, for the first and only time, my sis in law was allowed to boss me:) I also learned that you could send chocolate pudding right to the ceiling and over the dish pit when mixed on high and teenage guys will eat pudding whereever it lands!!!

It is where I sat at a picnic table 35 years ago and listened to a dear saint who has now gone home say, "who will carry on after our generation is gone?".

It is where I see the faithfullness of God as now his great grandchildren form some of the faithful, fun staff of our little camp.

We are blessed with 33 years of marriage. We are even more blessed by the people who have come into our lives, the opportunites we have had to serve others and the friendships and family who grow each year.

What stands out from my memories of our wedding day, the only sunny day of the summer of '77, was something our dear friend and pastor, Wes said to us. "Remember, above all others I have chosen you."

This morning, blessed by modern technology (cell phones), we were able to wake up to each other's voices (actually I was just waking up, Howard had eaten and was on his way to work:)

We confirmed that we still felt that way - we had made a good choice.

It is indeed a happy anniversary.

Glasses

To me , one of the greatest mysteries in our home, is the location of glasses. Not the kind you need for a cool drink but the kind you need so you can see which drink you have chosen.

How can it be when I just set them down on the counter because they were too hot, that they could miraculously move and end up on the toilet tank in a bathroom I seldom enter! It cannot be that man I married because he is not here right now.

In the past three days, I have lost three pairs and they keep showing up in random places at random times but never where or when I need them. I just spit polished the family room and there lurking in the aftghan was pair one. Pair two is on my face and pair three? I am sure I put them where I would be sure to remember where they were.

Wait, they are on top of my head!!! Mystery solved........... until next time.

Revolving Door

When you lives in God's country, it only makes sense that others want to share the joy and your home becomes a summer revolving door. I love it.

We had people play in our creek that we had never ventured into (in fact they built an amazing dam that we had to take down for the annual duck race :), I got to relax in the lake, sail with friends who were gracious to my little guests and gave them the helm and let them be the captain, we saw local tourist areas that we probably wouldn't have taken the time to do if we had been alone.

Having one sibling here, brought all the others and that made for a fun day of boating, playing and eating and eating some more. I am grateful for a hubby who is a pancake guru and barbeques up a storm while I swim in the lake. I think he would rather do anything than swim in the lake!!! Too cold, he says.

I have learned how to prepare for the next crew as I have people change their sheets and bring up the towel laundry. It makes it so much easier when you are welcoming the next crew.

The next guest will revolve the door without us as we look forward to blessing our friends with a five star hotel that is not an all inclusive :) in otherwords we won't be here so there is no cook! Hope they have fun.

After mosquitoes, rain, horses, mountains and great friends, we are back to start into the next round.

Wouldn't have it any other way.

de junking

What a joy to free yourself of junk or recycled treasures :) We were going to save our goodies for the local garage sale, but then found out that was another week away, so we loaded it all up and headed for the Sally Ann. We came home with a lighter load and a spring in our step as we had less unused treasures cluttering our home. Now we have no nighttable for the bedroom in the basement, in fact nowhere to rest the antique lamp. Hmmmmmmmmm, maybe I need to go to the garage sale :)

Content at home

This has been a month of firsts.
The first time we have had to say goodbye to a daughter studying overseas. Many asked us if we were sad. I had to honestly say no. We will miss her, I know, but also know that this is where she is supposed to be and are excited and proud of her for her pursuing her dreams.

The first sailing trip this year! Our first day out was calm waters. Then we got crazy. When the lake is covered in whitecaps and you have not got your sealegs yet, perhaps a voyage on the high seas is not a smart idea. But - we are adventurous. Or stupid. As the boat was crashing against the dock with the captain hollering paddle, paddle ( we looked at a small motor today), we headed to sea (sort of) We were flying across the waves with me getting tangled up in the ropes, the captain barking orders as he was trying to keep us from capcizing with the rudder, and a childhood thought came to mind. "I want to go home". After crashing into the dock, filling the boat with water from the waves, we trailered home, deciding that perhaps we would wait for a gentle breeze rather than a full force gale!! The captain came home and made the first mate a pretty sweet seat. We shall see if it works or if it sinks the ship!!. Wait, is that a leaf I see moving?

The first month we are not going to Alberta. It is grand to be home in the Okanagan. We are going to try and be tourists in the area and see some of the sights that people come to our area to see. Floating on the lake still appeals to me but H. just can't sit still that long plus claims he is NOT setting foot in the freezing water!!

The first summer K2 can't come to visit. They are off to the mountains with friends and we wish them a wonderful holiday. Wait, did I hear that Marmot got 7 inches of snow????? Happy tenting dear children :) We really are glad you get the chance to "play" with your friends.

The first time in the past many months, I am done my part on the book. yayayay at least for a few days.

That's it.

Sailing, sailing

As the wind picked up yesterday, so did our excitement. We were going to sail the whitecaps. Now you would think that when our boat was being crashed against the dock, we might have realized that there is such a thing as too much wind, but undaunted, we began to paddle out.

As we were flipped around with the captain hollering instructions while he calmly held the rudder, my calm spirit (hee hee) was busy hoisting the sail, setting the jib, trying to stay in the boat and thinking unkind thoughts of putting the captain overboard, except I didn't know how to sail home. We were flying across the lake with the boat pitching, the waves crashing and me thinking unChristian thoughts.

We did live through it after we had a crash landing back at the dock much to the humor of those sitting comforably in their lawn chairs on the shore. Knowing that my sweetie just can't sit still, that will never be an event at our house. We decided we would start out our sailing voyages with a little calmer winds! At least life is never dull :)

Summer!!

Yayay, it is finally summer here. The kids are in the lake, none of my friends will even wet their tootsies and H. will NEVER go in what he calls the freezing waters. We are 3/5 of the way through Vacation Bible School and are having the time of our lives. Lots of crazy people with some great kids.

Yesterday we took our maiden voyage on the sailboat. Awesome even if there wasn't any breeze!! We floated merrily and paddled home.

J. made it to Australia for which we are grateful. Our girls both have birthdays this month so that is always fun. We hope for a visit from k2 next week. Can hardly wait.

Off to lunch with friends tomorrow and then hope for a breeze for an evening sail. Ah, the good life!

Here is grad in June 2010. Howard says I am NEVER going to college again and I can hardly wait to see what I can take next. LOVED IT>

graduation

Back home but somehow not slowing down. We have finished some much anticipated projects and are looking forward to spending July at home with friends in our neighbourhood and out of province people popping in on their way through to somewhere.

Graduation was a great evening and I finished with top marks. Howard says no more school but I would love to continue. There are so many things I would like to learn but home needs to take priority.

Julie leaves on Sunday for Australia and as much as we are excited for her, we will miss her tremendously. A couple of years seems like a lifetime.

Kurt and Kendra are enjoying settling in their new home and look forward to a summer garage project.

We are hoping summer shows up soon as it still chilly here for July. At least the hills are green.

Pop in if you are out our way this summer.

Home and happy

We are back on home soil and so glad to be. After arriving, I scooted up to visit my mom as she was not well. She is doing much better and we are enjoying our creek and backyard. It rains, then sunshine, more rain but is lovely so I am enjoying it all. The office is my next tackle project as it is reeling from my last project for school. I thought I would really miss school but I can't imagine still doing assignments!! Our grad is the 28th and I will be thrilled to see all of my classmates again. Howard is soon going on his annual pack trip with the "senator's club" and I wish them well. They were talking about including their wives this year, but we quickly assured them it should be a "guy" thing!!

So, home sweet home for us right now.

Washington

We had such a wonderful time with the Stones. Seeing DC was great. We toured all the important places and were amazed by our two great nieces. It was a beautiful city with so much green space. Our train ride was VERY long but we arrived safe and sound in Ontario.

Hi all. We are in Washington, DC and loving it. What a beautiful city and we are enjoying our family as they tour us around. Tonight we are doing NOTHING and going to enjoy every minute. We have seen the downtown and admired the many monuments and are in awe of the many people who have given their lives for freedom. Today we were at the American History museum and loved it (it was also air conditioned!!) a definite plus. Tonight it has clouded over and we hit the train tomorrow morning. Hard to believe we have been away for two weeks. We are ready for our creek and life without school and the pressure of New York.

Talk to you all soon.

We survived NYC!!! Wow, too many people, taxis, scaffolding, and the bus drivers deserve an award. It was 91 degrees yesterday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 89 at 9:30 at night!!

We hailed a cab and lived.

We rode the subway at rush hour and lived.

We walked the streets and walked and walked and were glad we didn't live here.

There is a different food every other shop and they are about 10 feet wide. One Thai restuarant we ate at only sat 14 people!!

I have never heard so many languages spoken in one place.

I never knew there were that many books available on earth as at BEA.

We were told 2 million people drive to Manhatten everyday for work and 4 million more commute! Oh give me land, lots of land under BC skies of blue....................

We loved the experience, met many wonderful people, had some miracle moments...

One pic of our evening sail cruise, a great choice that we both loved.

On to DC on Sat. to meet up with our tour guides, Ngila and Bea!!!

New York City

Wow, that is about all I can say. SUCH a huge city and history. We haven't been too far other than the conference but did eat at a little Thai rest. with 14 seats and a sweetie for a waiter. We are off on a clipper cruise of the harbor tonight and hope to walk to Times Square. We are close to the garment district but H. doesn't seem to want to go fabric shopping!!! The inner Manhatten is construction and then some!! Howard's highlight of the trip is last night on our walk home, we passed the "garage" where all the equipment is kept for the horse drawn cabs for central park. Lots of tack on the walls and a horse out front, on the main streets of Manhatten!!! It is definitely a city you need to have time in and I know we won't see half of what we would like to. Another time, I guess.

My book looks wonderful and I am delighted with it. I met Debbie Macomber this morning and listened to Barbra Streisand last night with a very interesting presentation. Tied right in with my last year of schooling.

Love to all.

Wow, after a wonderful bus ride on a gorgeous sunny day, NYC is around 85 degrees!! It is glorious, noisier than any place I have ever seen and cramped but so interesting. People are friendly, our room is tiny but a super comfy bed, and tonight we see Barbara Streisand. The Javits convention center is bigger than I can describe!! It covers 5 blocks!!! I have a wheelchair but my "pusher" is already complaining :) He is actually a brick and keeps running me into brick walls :( He says it is easier to drive a semi than a chair. Hope we don't bruise too many ankles. Can't get into my email today but that is OK. Love to all.

Whew, after a relaxing morning, we decided to take on the transit system of NJ and head out to a mall. We were very successful except we wore me out walking more than we should have. It was a muggy, lovely day with whipping winds by the end of it. It did buy a new funky sweater that will make me look less hickish when I get to NYC tomorrow. We are going early in hopes of getting tickets to Barbara's Streisand's keynote address. I don't want to miss it. We have no room for clothes as I have 200 bookbags that I have brought!! What was I thinking??????

Atlantic City, NJ

What a wonderful, restful spot. We are at the end and around the corner from Casino row so we only watch the Sunday fishermen in the ocean and listen to the seagulls. Awesome. Our suite is lovely. We are looking forward to taking on New York City (I think). Glad we get to come back here for a day and a half. Then on to Liam and Janelle's - can hardly wait to see the family!! Am attaching H's pride and joy. George's "cabin" completed in 2 1/2 days!!

Actually I mustn't have downloaded it off the camera yet so here is an example of what Dolores and I were doing while the boys were working :) Two towns, two shops - what could be better?????

Hello friends, Today was a beautiful drive to Oakville to visit some family and view the GORGEOUS homes along the lake. It is really beautiful here. We leave at 5am by taxi for the Amtrak trip to NJ. H. has finished the shed in record time and G is please to have a new "cabin". D and I found yet another quilt shop. no more shopping which is why I think H. was so happy to take the train!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See you later this week

Hey friends,

The shed is almost complete and would be if there wasn't a shortage of tin for the roof. That hubby of mine is a machine.

D and I had a lovely day in a quilt shop, Niagara Falls, and Niagara on the Lake. Out for supper with the boys and off to bed as we were all pooped.

Today we are off to Oakville to meet my new stepsisters :) I am really looking forward to it as I love their dad to bits. He is very funny and loves our mom so what can be bad about that. D loves her new family and always loves us so we feel quite blessed.

Julie had some good news yesterday so Australia, here she comes!!! Kurt and Kendra get their new acreage tomorrow. Life is very exciting in our children's lives. We leave for New Jersey very, very early tomorrow morning.

Love to you all

Ontario is beautiful. Howard is half done the shed and Dolores and I are having a great time running around. Today we are hitting Niagra Falls and the shops of Niagra on the Lake. Of course, a stop at a fav. quilt shop is in our plans while the boys are busy. Hope to have some pics tomorrow.

I am no longer a student!!! Today I switch roles into family tourist, then American tourist, then very nervous author. I know this is the Lord's book and I am excited about that. Last night was rather sad to say goodbye to fellow students and my dear teacher but I know we will keep in touch. I am NOT sad to leave all the homework behind. It was a valuable course and I am not sorry for a minute that I took it. Grad is in June and I look forward to that.

New York, here we come

Wow, it has been a long time since our last blog entry. That is because we have been going like crazy people trying to get ready for New York where my book is being showcased at Book Exposition America. I am really excited. We start off with three days in Ontario visiting my birth mom, followed by some R & R in Atlantic City, NJ. Then off to New York where I have never been before. Back to NJ and then down to DC to see our nephew, neice, and little great nieces. All of this is travelling Amtrak, so we hope to arrive rested with no driving. yay

Keep posted for our adventures.

A beautiful spring day. yayayay. Today was a usual crazy day with too much stuffed in and not enough hours. We decorated a house, edited some book. got a new look, and worked on the next assignment even though I don't have the last one done!!!! The island is clear (first time in a long time) and the bed is made. yayay me. Still want a manservant!

Spring has sprung beyond our reach

The geese are pooping on our beach

I'd turn our fancy sprinklers on

But we wrecked them aeriating our lawn

The sun has hidden since November

My plants are trying to remember

A time when they could bloom or sprout

Maybe I should get the dead leaves out

I cannot park in our garage

Hubby has it crammed with his barage

My SUV even though it looks quiet posh

Is in bad need of a vacuum and wash!!

But.............

we are together in married bliss

There isn't a day that I would miss

And if the weather has a bit of gloom

I just head down to my sewing room

Oh no, I can't get in the door

For all of the fabric and stuff on the floor

My new center stands just waiting for me

To organize, books, rulers and things I can't see.

Hubby said we can't afford to "save" more

My shopping is curbed when I go to the store.

"It's a tax writeoff , I say with such glee

You can't write it off if you make no money.

And so I continue to cook and to clean

For no servants appear, they are not to be seen

Moving to BC is not a mistake

-40 just does not compare to the lake.

So next time you are headed this way

Stop in and join us for a limited stay

For friends and fish are just the same

They all start to stink after three lovely days.

We are back, praise the Lord

How appropriate that our first day back blogging would be Easter Sunday 2010. It is because of Him that we rejoice today. He is truth, unchanging,love, and eternal and because of that we have hope, peace and joy. That always sounded like a little saying to me but after having been to the bottom of the cavern and back, I know it to be true.

Howard and I are VERY busy but enjoying the BC spring. We are going to pay this summer for a winter of no snow but it has been delightful. We need to water our back lawn but are thrilled we have one!!

We started a decorating/homereno business in Oct. and have been going crazy ever since. We love it even though we will be glad when we plan better and our jobs do not overlap!!! I am loving going to school two nights a week taking my interior decorating certificate. Sometimes I am just one class ahead of what I am supposed to know on the job. Howard says it is about time I learned how to spend someone else's money!! Imagine that! He has no understanding of why we would need to redecorate our 2 1/2 year old home!

We still love our home, the hospitality we can provide. The restaurant across the street just closed and we are in mourning as it definitely was our other kitchen. Now when you stop in, you take the chance on having food!!! Actually now we are thinking of starting our old tradition of pancake lunch for any and all who would like to come. We are blessed with a warm friendly church who LOVES fellowshipping with food:)

In Sept 2009 I finally recovered from 1 1/2 years of clinical depression. Who would of thought??? I am now trying to keep balanced and the line H. is getting VERY tired of is, "I have an idea". I have so many as it seems my creative juices were dead for so long they have catapulted into multiplicity!! (I am now on drugs to help curtail that:) At times my family and I questioned God's wisdom and hand in this, but now I can look back I realize I have come to know God in a new way, I have a new passion for Him and those who know Him and those who do not. I love my neighbours and try to live Christ as we enjoy each other's company. We are blessed to be in the midst of a community in the middle of nowhere. We love each other, look after each other and feel no hesitation at borrowing a cup of sugar or raking each other's leaves. Gives me a glimpse of heaven only I am not yet size 5 and am totally white. I live in confidence because even in my darkest moment, God was still who He says He is and I know now that even if I wake up tomorrow "gone again" He will still be. What a measure of treasure to live in. This isn't the end and I have an eternity with God to look forward to - hence the importance of today. Amid the fattening Easter candy, He is still risen. I serve a living God through His Son, Jesus Christ and that excites me!!!

My little quilt book is being republished as an 8x8 colored photo coffee table book. This is huge for us in financial committment, time, future travelling for promotion, and all the wonderful people we touch base with on the journey. It is my dream and as the saying goes, "I would rather aim high and miss than aim at nothing and hit the target." Watch for it this fall 2010. Maybe we will be travelling through your town. We will try to phone and park our rig in a nearby Walmart! Please buy one so we won't have to eat weiners for the rest of our life or live with our children :)

Must run as this is the first blog post and not a book. (It's coming) We are off to New York City in May for Book Exposition America but before then we celebrate Howard being on the earth for 70 years. We wish we could have invited everyone but if we had all the people who love Howard we would have had to rent Rexall Place in Edmonton or BC Place where the Olympic opening ceremony was!! He is a very special man. AFter 34 years, I would still pick him! ( He might hesitate for just a moment, but would still pick me too).

Hello again to all our friends. Marantha - He is risen. He is risen indeed!!!!